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Gosh…! These days I’m so busy with work that I don’t have time to sew. I have about 10 old t-shirts to do new projects, and I have ideas for each of them, and believe I’m looking forward to carry them out and post the results here.

Instead of designing and sewing I’m working hard to introduce changes in my life: I’m trying to finish my dissertation with all my might, I’m sending resumes to the companies I like to get the job of my dreams, and I’m thinking about becoming emancipated. It’s easy to imagine how this would improve my life… Don’t think I’m not happy right now, but it’s time for a change!

By the moment, I show you my last project. I have no tutorial for this one, but is very very easy. Whatever fate has in store for me, I’ll wait it with a pretty t-shirt on 😉

This weekend I made a very simply t-shirt recon. Here is the tutorial:

1- Cut the t-shirt as I show in the next picture. As you can see, you have the pattern of the t-shirt (the front and the back, in dotted line) and two strips. You will need the entire strip number 2, and only the half (or even less) of the strip number 3.

2- Sew the 3 pieces as I show in the second picture. This is, the strip number 3 will be the central part of the front, and sew the strip number 2 to the back, to both sides of the front and then sew its extremes. This strip will pass behind your neck.

Some people in t-shirt surgery asked me for the tutorial of one of the t-shirts that I showed in my last post. Well, I don’t have pictures of the procces, but anyway, I’ve been playing with my computer and here it is!

1 – Take the big t-shirt that you’re going to recon and another one of your t-shirts, one of those that fits you sooo well. Put one over the other to mark the pattern. To mark it on the sleeves (the most difficult part) you can use pins, putting them across both t-shirts and following the seam the small t-shirt. That way, you can move the sleeve of the small t-shirt and mark the pattern in the big t-shirt.

2 – Cut the big t-shirt 2 cm away from the pattern, to have a seam allowance. Don’t trhow the rest of the fabric away: you will use it later.

3 – Sew both sides of the t-shirt.

4 – Now we will make the neck: Cut the neck like in the next picture. You will have to sew it later in the slit.

5 – Take the fabric that you cut in step 4. Cut the neck line.

6 – Then take the fabric you cut in step 2, and cut a strip, a long strip. Tie this strip around the fabric of the step 5 and the slit of the t-shirt. Voilá! You have your neck with the bow.

7 – Now we’re going to do the sleeves. Take the sleeves of the big t-shirt (you cut them in the step 2) and cut a small strip of fabric like in the picture:

8 – Sew them following the lines I draw in the next picture, but don’t joint the pieces of fabric! You’re sewing them to gather them. And for that, once you have sewed them, take both extremes of the thread and pull of them.

9 – Take the rest of fabric of the step 7 (it must be strip) and sew it to the sleeve. You have gathered the sleeve, so you’ll have a rest. I recommend to begin to sew on the top of the sleeve. That way the seam of the strip will match with the seam of the sleeve.

10 – Finally, sew the sleeves to the t-shirt. As before, I recommend to begin sewing the top of the sleeve.

1 – First, I used a normal and big red t-shirt and one of my strapless t-shirts to do the pattern. Many people think that you have to do a tube in fabric to do a strapless t-shirt. But taking your pattern from another t-shirt, you will be sure that your new t-shirt will fit you perfectly.

For that, I put one over the other and I marked my pattern with pins.

2 – Then, I sew the pattern:

3 – To paint the drawing in the t-shirt, I transfer it printing it a sheet and putting this sheet over the fabric. Then, I rubbed the sheet with alcohol. That way, the ink is transferred to the fabric. Then I used a pen (special for fabric) because is cheap and accurate.

In this picture you can see the result:

4 – Finally, I decorated it with a lace ending. It’s not elastic, so it’s important to take well the measure over your chest.